Hair today, gone tomorrow

August 18, 2014Blog1 min read

Each year, Plante Moran holds a creativity contest to determine which of our offices came up with the most fun/unique way to raise money or volunteer time for Plante Moran Cares, our firm’s charitable effort. The winning office receives an additional $5,000 donation to the organization it supports.

The winner this year is East Lansing, home of the “Big Bald Bet.” What’s that, you ask? Brad Virkus, a partner in the office, promised to publicly shave his head if East Lansing could raise $10,000. The office accepted the challenge and raised more than $20,000. Shortly thereafter, Brad was seated in a conference room while his personal friend, MSU Head Basketball Coach Tom Izzo, shaved the first stripe off his impressive mane of hair.

While this was definitely the most creative tactic, other offices provided some stiff competition. From silent auctions to an ugly holiday sweater contest to filling a 26-foot moving truck with items for a family of six whose home had burned down, our staff came through, time and again. Together we raised raised more than $110,000 for our Plante Moran Cares initiatives.

This year we’re trying something a little different—we’re encouraging each office to rally around its own specific cause. Staff can nominate charities, and then offices vote for the one they’ll ultimately support. We’re excited to shake things up a little and see what happens when our staff are in the driver’s seat.

What about you? How do you give back to the community at your organization? Are there any fun or creative ideas you’d like to share?